Itanagar, Aug 13: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday welcomed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s statement calling for peace and harmony between the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh amid tensions along the inter-State boundary.
Khandu said Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share a deep bond of history, friendship and brotherhood, and stressed that differences between the two states must always be addressed through dialogue, mutual understanding and peaceful means.
“I heartily welcome the positive and reassuring statement by Hon’ble Assam Chief Minister Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma Ji,” Khandu said in a post on social media.
Appealing to the people of both states to maintain peace, harmony and mutual respect, Khandu said differences should not be allowed to overshadow the strong bonds that unite the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Sarma, in his statement, said the relationship between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh "goes far beyond boundaries”, noting that people of the two states had lived as brothers and sisters for generations, bound by love, affection and mutual respect.
He said most of the inter-state boundary differences had been resolved in recent years through dialogue and friendship. “Only 52 villages remain, and both Governments will continue discussions in the same spirit to resolve the dispute completely,” Sarma said.
Sarma also appealed to the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to maintain peace and harmony, stressing that while boundaries may define the two states, they could never divide the hearts of their people.
The statements came amid heightened tensions following the recent Hime village incident, in which several villagers from Assam were reportedly injured in alleged firing, and the subsequent road and economic blockade called by the Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) along parts of the Assam-Arunachal boundary.
The appeals by the two Chief Ministers are expected to reinforce efforts towards dialogue, restoration of normalcy and maintaining peaceful relations between the neighbouring states.